Canoe Kayak Canada Code of Safety Sprint Racing Discipline - 2018 CANOE KAYAK CANADA CODE OF SAFETY 1 SPRINT RACING DISCIPLINE - 2018 1 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION & SCOPE 2 1.1 PURPOSE & AUTHORITY 2 1.2 DISTRIBUTION 3 1.3 MAINTENANCE 3 SECTION 2 IMPLEMENTATION 5 2.1 APPROACH 5 2.2 CLUB IMPLEMENTATION 6 SECTION 3 SAFETY OF PARTICIPANTS 7 3.1 SAFETY OF PARTICIPANTS 7 3.2 AWARENESS OF RISKS 9 3.3 RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE PARTICIPANT 10 SECTION 4 RESPONSIBILITIES OF CLUBS 12 SECTION 5 CANOES, KAYAKS, DRAGON BOATS & EQUIPMENT 15 SECTION 6 SAFETY AT REGATTAS AND IN TRAINING 16 SECTION 7 RESPONSIBILITIES OF CLUB SAFETY OFFICER (“OFFICER”) 18 SECTION 8 RESPONSIBILITIES OF OFFICIALS AND VOLUNTEERS 20 SECTION 9 RESPONSIBILITIES OF COACHES 21 SECTION 10 RESPONSIBILITIES OF BOAT DRIVERS 23 SECTION 11 COLD WATER CONDITIONS & GUIDELINES 25 SECTION 12 SEVERE WEATHER REGULATIONS 26 12.1 REGATTAS 26 12.2 REGULAR PRACTICE TIMES 27 SECTION 13 WEATHER CONDITIONS AND HEALTH PRECAUTIONS 29 13.1 WEATHER CONDITIONS 29 13.2 RECOMMENDED EXTREME WARM TEMPERATURE GUIDELINES 30 SECTION 14 BOAT TRAILER SAFETY 32 14.1 TRAILERS 32 14.2 CARS/VANS/TRUCKS 32 SECTION 15 SANCTION FOR NON-COMPLIANCE 33 SECTION 16 APPENDIXESS 33 APPENDIX A – CANADIAN RED CROSS SWIM KIDS LEVEL 6 33 APPENDIX B – CLUB SAMPLE – RELEASE OF LIABILITY WAIVER (OVER 18) / CLUB SAMPLE – INFORMED CONSENT AND ASSUMPTION OF RISK FORM (UNDER 18) 33 APPENDIX C – COLD WATER EFFECTS 33 APPENDIX D – CANADA SHIPPING ACT, SMALL VESSEL REGULATIONS 33 APPENDIX E – EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN, TEMPLATE 34 APPENDIX F – ACCIDENT REPORT FORM, SAMPLE 34 APPENDIX G – FIRST AID KIT CHECKLIST, SAMPLE 34 APPENDIX H – PAR-Q & YOU (FOR BEGINNER PARTICIPANTS) 34 APPENDIX I – PARTICIPANT PROFILE 34 APPENDIX J – COLD WATER PARTICIPATION – ADULT WAIVER / COLD WATER PARTICIPATION – INFORMED CONSENT AGREEMENT - YOUTH ERROR! BOOKMARK NOT DEFINED. REFERENCES 35 Section 1 Introduction & Scope 1.1 Purpose & Authority Canoe Kayak Canada’s (CKC) primary objective is the safety of all individuals who participate in the sport of paddling. This Code of Safety aims to achieve that objective by outlining the standards to be employed by CKC Sprint Member clubs in all sprint racing disciplines. The guidelines presented in this Code of Safety are the minimum requirements for Clubs and Divisions and represent CKC’s official safety policy. All clubs should carefully review these standards to ensure their familiarity with them. Comments with respect to this Code of Safety should be directed to the CKC Domestic Programs Director, or to your Flag Officer. We must be alert to the possibility of injury or accident when in a water environment. Your recommendations and suggestions to help further develop this Code are most welcome and will be incorporated wherever possible to make our sport safer and to reduce the opportunities for injury or accident. 2 The Code of Safety was developed within parameters set by standards and best practices in risk, emergency, and continuity management. The Sprint Racing Council is the approval body responsible for oversight, maintenance, and recommended changes to Canoe Kayak Canada’s Code of Safety. 1.2 Distribution The Code of Safety is available electronically for all Registrants, Clubs, Provincial and Territorial Sport Organizations. Hard copies may be distributed at the discretion of the CKC Programs Director and stored in a secure place. There are various sample documents available in the Appendix section of this Code. They are provided in order to assist CKC Sprint Member clubs to operate in a safe manner. Some forms are easily modified to fit the particular rules of each club. Appendix B should NOT be modified and are strongly advised for CKC Sprint Member clubs (they are also mandatory for CKC sanctioned events, so it is in the Clubs’ best interest to utilize them for all events and activities). Individual insurers may include their own waiver forms in order to protect the Club, although CKC recommends that the CKC Adult Release/Waiver (adults) and CKC Informed Consent Agreement (minors) provided in Appendix B be completed for Club related activities. 1.3 Maintenance Accountability for Code of Safety development and maintenance rests with the CEO of Canoe Kayak Canada, the CKC Director of Development, the Domestic Development Committee, and the Sprint Racing Council. This accountability is for: • The development of the Code of Safety and managing any future revisions, 3 • Ensuring the systems and response structure are in place and able to meet the requirements set out in the Code of Safety, • Ensuring an audit of the Code of Safety takes place at least every two years Clubs are responsible: o For keeping their Code of Safety documents current (including appendices) and ensuring that all revisions are appropriately filed, o Studying all new material issued and incorporating it into their activities, o Suggesting changes to the DDC to correct existing material and contributing new text material to improve the quality of the Code of Safety 4 Section 2 Implementation 2.1 Approach The implementation of a Code of Safety is a complex task because many people are involved at various levels. Thus, one of the key elements of effective implementation is teamwork. In other words, all the people concerned with the Sprint Racing Discipline need to know their roles and how to evaluate and minimize the risks faced by any individual involved in the sport. Please identify which role(s) you assume in our sport. What is your role in team safety? • participant (athlete) • coach • official • parent • volunteer • boat driver • spectator • site manager or employee • administrator After you have identified your role(s), you will be able to better intervene and interact with the other team members. In this way, you will contribute to the creation and maintenance of a secure and safe environment. 5 The Canoe Kayak Canada Code of Safety operates under the regulations of Transport Canada. All users of this Code of Safety should be familiar with the Office of Boating Safety’s “Safe Boating Guide”. For convenience, the Guide is referenced in this document. It can be accessed at the following internet address: http://www.tc.gc.ca/media/documents/marinesafety/TP-511e.pdf 2.2 Club Implementation Clubs are responsible for implementing the Code of Safety by establishing a Club Safety Officer, and by adhering to the guidelines as outlined in Section 4 “Responsibilities of Clubs”. This includes establishing various safety protocols, providing safe equipment and communicating safety guidelines to participants. 6 Section 3 Safety of Participants 3.1 Safety of Participants 1. A participant is defined as a person who is taking part in an on-water paddlingactivity under the sanction of a CKC Sprint Member club, of a Divisional Flag Officer or of the Sprint Racing Council. A participant is bound to follow the rules of their racing class (as defined in CKC rulebook) they are deemed to be in on January 1 of any given year. 2. Clubs must ensure that potential participants have sufficient swimming ability prior to their participation in water-related programs. All participants should, as a minimum, be able to swim at the level of the Canadian Red Cross “Swim Kids Level 6”. To reach this level the participant must meet the requirements detailed in Appendix A - Canadian Red Cross – “Swim Kids Level 6” 3. Any individual, whether they be a participant, officials, volunteer or any other who does not pass a club swimming test must wear a Government of Canada approved Personal Flotation Device (“PFD”) in the manner in which it was intended while engaged in all on-water activity. 4. All U15, U13, and U11 paddlers who are not required by the paragraph 3 above to wear a Government of Canada approved PFD must nevertheless wear a PFD, of a type acceptable to the paddler’s division, in the manner in which it was intended while engaged in any on-water activity. 7 5. Cold Water Conditions require special safety precautions. When the water temperature is below 8 degrees Celsius, this is considered ‘Cold Water’ and the following precautions apply: Participants below the age of 18 shall wear a Government of Canada approved Personal Flotation Device (PFD). The participants shall also be accompanied by a safety boat during on- water training. Participants 18 years of age or older are strongly advised to wear a Government of Canada approved PFD. The participants should be accompanied by a safety boat during on-water training. Should participants 18 years of age or older choose not to wear a Government approved PFD during training they do so at their own risk. Clubs shall require any athletes who are participating in Cold Water Conditions to sign either a Cold Water Adult Waiver Form or a Cold Water Youth Informed Consent Form (Appendix J). NOTE: Coast Guard Regulations with regard to safety equipment still apply. (See Section 9 - Cold Water Regulations & Guidelines and Appendix C – Cold Water Effects). 6. All participants engaged in dragon boat paddling must wear a Government approved PFD while in the boat. 7. On-water practices or competitions should not take place earlier than one-half hour preceding sunrise, and not later than one half hour after sunset, e.g. if sunrise is 6:30 A.M then practices may not start before 6:00 A. M. If sunset is 8:40 P.M. then practices should be completed 8 (paddlers off the water) not later than 9:10 P.M. If a practice extends beyond these times, the following shall be required: i. All boats must be equipped with operating navigation lights in accordance with the Office of Boating Safety standards ii. All participants must wear approved PFD’s 3.2 Awareness of Risks 8.